Making wine from mystery grapes... now what?

[TomMonger]

Hello...

I picked about 20 lbs of "wild" small concord-like grapes that are VERY potent in flavor and somewhat sweet. Found tons of vines on a wall where I work. Anyway, I destemmed and crushed them in a 5-gal bucket (boy, was that a task!). Anyway, I added about a 1/2 gal of distilled water and 1/2 gal of Welch's concord grape juice and a couple cups of sugar to attain 1.085 specific gravity. I added campden tabs and let go for 24 hours, then pitched Pasteur Red yeast.

Juice went to 1.010 and I put it in a carboy. I pressed all the leftover grape skins (which were in a paint strainer bad). I got exactly 3 gallons. There is very little activity in the air lock, but every once in a while, I see a bubble or two.

What do I do next? Just let it sit a month or two and rack again?



Thanks!

 

[Rocky]

Who knows what you have there, but, hey, that is part of the fun of this hobby. What is the ambient temperatrue where the wine is located? I would try to keep it around 75 degrees F and see if you get any more active fermentation. If you have a yeast engergizer or yeast nutrient, you might add the does called for on the bottle and stir the wine well.

When you say "very potent in flavor" do you mean very sweet or very much of a grape taste? Just be aware that this may all come to naught, but you will have learned something and you do not have a lot tied up in it. Good luck.

 

[robie]

Look in the forum section for tutorials. Read up on making wine from fresh grapes and follow the instructions there. It will be interesting how it all turns out. Maybe really nice, maybe not, but it won't hurt to try.

Have fun and Good luck.

 

[TomMonger]

Rocky... my house is around 75 degs. I may try the energizer/nutrient route because I tested the SG today and it's still at 1.01. And by potent, I mean very strong grape taste. Smells pretty good so far!

Thanks for the tip, Robie.

 

[docanddeb]

If it's not "perfect"... you can always blend something in to it. Berry wines mix well.

Debbie

 

[TomMonger]

Well, I can't seem to get this batch of wine to ferment any further than 1.01 SG. I added some yeast nutrient and more yeast 3 days ago, and I have a lot of thick "foam" on top, but no activity. Is it possible that when I added sugar to get to 1.085 ... it might've been actually higher and fermentation is actually done now?

 

[Rocky]

Tom, it still seems like there must be an appreciable amount of sugar in the wine. The foam on top has to be from gas being generated in the wine so it would seem that fermentation is still progressing albeit very slowly. You say the wine is in a carboy and that you got exactly 3 gallons so I am assuming a 3 gallon carboy, right? Pasteur Red yeast seems a good choice for your wine and would be good for alcohol up to 16%. Your temperature (72 degrees) is in the middle of its range, so that seems okay, too. The foam that you mention, how thick of a layer is it? If the wine is in a 3 gallon carboy and it is almost full, I don't see it as being very thick. Have you given the wine a good stirring? This will get yeast that has fallen to the bottom back into the mix. Lastly, in the airlock (which I hope is the S type) do you see evidence of pressure from inside the carboy? You can see this in the S type by the liquid being moved in the direction away from the wine. It is a little harder to see with the 3 piece airlock, but the little internal cap would be pushed toward the top of the airlock. Even though there are no bubbles, it is a good sign if there is pressure from within.

Have you tasted the wine? Can you taste any sweetness or is it dry? Whatever you do, don't give up on the wine just yet.

 

[TomMonger]

Hey Rocky...

Thanks for the reply. The foam is quite thick, and yes, it's in a 3-gal carboy. At one point, it crept up into the s-type airlock, so I removed some liquid to give it more headspace. And yes, the vodka in the airlock (my preference) does move away to the far side, so there is obvious pressure in the carboy ... but my SG isn't really moving.

I haven't tasted the must yet, but it smells like... yeast and concord grapes. I will give it a sip when I get home tonight.

 

[robie]

At 1.010 it will still taste a little sweet.

Does the wine have the H2S smell (rotten eggs)? That would be an indication the yeast needed fed, although at this point I am not sure I would try to add any nutrients, unless there is a definite H2S smell. If you decide to do so anyway, add only a very small amount and see if you get any fermentation going.

Yes, stir it really well and warm it up to the upper 70's (75F is probably good) and keep it there for a few days. I would stir it everyday for those few days. Give it some time and see if fermentation starts back again.

If it doesn't, at that SG you may be lucky and get it to start with a yeast, which is good for stuck fermentations; EC-1118 is one of them, too. You will need to make a starter for it and not just pitch the yeast on top of a wine that already has considerable alcohol in it.

 

[TomMonger]

Hello Robie...

Nope, no H2S smell at all. I stirred well and put a heat strap on it. I can taste some alcohol, but not a lot. Some sweetness, too. Oh, and of course a bit yeasty SG is still a hair less that 1.01.

I already added a starter of EC-1118 a few days ago. We will see what happens with the heat and constant stirring!

 

[robie]

Hello Robie...

Nope, no H2S smell at all. I stirred well and put a heat strap on it. I can taste some alcohol, but not a lot. Some sweetness, too. Oh, and of course a bit yeasty SG is still a hair less that 1.01.

I already added a starter of EC-1118 a few days ago. We will see what happens with the heat and constant stirring!

Hi Tom,

Did you make that starter using the procedure required for adding fresh yeast to an already high alcohol must?? It has to be slowly (over several hours) acclimated to the wine that has alcohol already. Otherwise, the shock will kill the yeast.

 

[TomMonger]

I made my starter from water, sugar and a bit of the must. Let it sit roughly an hour, added a bit more must and sugar. Sat another hour and repeated. Then a couple hours later, I poured it into the carboy.

I am now seeing an occasional bubble in the airlock now that I've put on the heat strap and stirred it up. Hmmm... I'm hoping it's taking off again

 

[robie]

I made my starter from water, sugar and a bit of the must. Let it sit roughly an hour, added a bit more must and sugar. Sat another hour and repeated. Then a couple hours later, I poured it into the carboy.

I am now seeing an occasional bubble in the airlock now that I've put on the heat strap and stirred it up. Hmmm... I'm hoping it's taking off again

That sounds good. Yeast should take off soon. Keep the heat on, at this stage it is your friend. In your situation and with that yeast, 80F is even better I believe.

At 1.010 it should be ready for secondary (keep all oxygen away). When you stir it, just stir up the yeast from the bottom and try not to stir in any oxygen, meaning don't stir too hard.

Be sure to watch the SG to see if it is changing. You won't always see very much bubbling in secondary. Sometimes the SG will change very slowly in secondary.

 

[TomMonger]

Hey Robie...

It's taking off again! Thanks so much for your advice. Oh, and it already IS in a secondary.

-Tom in Scranton, PA USA

 

[robie]

Hey Robie...

It's taking off again! Thanks so much for your advice. Oh, and it already IS in a secondary.

-Tom in Scranton, PA USA

Very good! You stayed with it and it is paying off.
Just think of all you have learned through this experience... This is why it is so much fun!!!

 

[TomMonger]

I couldn't agree more, Robie! I am a very happy home winemaker! I love it!